Barbara Robison (1900-date unknown) was a young Sydney identity. This photograph appeared in Max Dupain's first photo spread in the Home magazine in November 1935, soon after Dupain had written an article about Man Ray for the same magazine. 'Experiments in Portraiture by Max Dupain' featured a photograph of Hera Roberts developed in 'a cunning blending of positive and negative' alongside this picture of Miss Robison, which was captioned: 'The rise and fall of tone that gives the delicate modelling of this exquisite face are so imperceptible in their transition and the whole conception so medieval in character that, as a portrait, it would seem to have come under the supervision of Botticelli.' The Home of December 1936 reported that Miss Robison, while 'interested in designing and drawing and acting', 'denies the rumour that she has been engaged to understudy Merle Oberon on the screen'.
Collection: National Portrait Gallery
Gift of Rex Dupain 2003
Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program
The National Portrait Gallery respects the artistic and intellectual property rights of others. Works of art from the collection are reproduced as per the
Australian Copyright Act 1968 (Cth). The use of images of works from the collection may be restricted under the Act. Requests for a reproduction of a work of art can be made through a
Reproduction request. For further information please contact
NPG Copyright.
